DESIGN
Silk and wool rug designs in the guest lounge point up New Orleans ’ diverse past .
aesthetics ; and its first foray into luxury , the American Trade Hotel in Panama .
“ We saw an opportunity in the market to create a new interpretation of luxury that felt intimate , elevated and distinguished , yet still personal and born from a love of culture , art , people and cities ,” Sawdon says .
Everything fell into place when the 1908 City Hall Annex by architect General Allison Owen , across the street from Ace Hotel New Orleans , became available . Over two years , the team transformed the Warehouse District building into what it calls a 67-key luxury guest house , versus the higher-octane buzz of a hotel .
GUEST EXCLUSIVITY Only guests are granted access to the lobby , breakfast room and secret , 12-seat speakeasy , where drinks are ordered by tapping a painting – a departure from the democratic mingling popularized by Ace Hotels . “ While Ace invites the city in as a central gathering space and platform for others , Maison de la Luz offers guests a resplendent respite in the city , generous in spirit and unorthodox in design ,” Sawdon says .
Original stone walls , fireplaces , polished floors and dual staircases with ornate patinated banisters were preserved , and antiques locally sourced . The wild interiors were inspired not only by the Big Easy ’ s multicultural mashup of French , Spanish and African influences but also by the
Maison de la Luz opened in March 2019 as Ace Hotel Group ’ s first guest-access-only property .
Maison de la Luz ’ s breakfast room ; the design takes a luxury guest house approach .
WHERE
NEXT ?
As for future Maison de la Luz sites , Kelly Sawdon , Ace Hotel Group partner and chief brand officer , says the company is considering cities with character , history and romance , such as Mexico City , Buenos Aires , Paris and Amsterdam .
Two decades on , the Ace Hotel brand also is moving ahead . A partnership with architect Kengo Kuma and interior designer Commune Design brings a Kyoto opening this spring ; a Toronto collaboration with Shim-Sutcliffe Architects completes in the fall ; and a Sydney property is slated for 2021 .
Atelier Ace ’ s ability to fuse creative ideas into hospitality hotspots fueled the synchronicity between Maison de la Luz ’ s interior design , service delivery and business proposition . Sawdon says it begins with collaboration among interior and graphic designers , architects and writers to craft a cohesive narrative that threads through every decision from fixtures to venues to identity .
“ We reinvent our creative process with each project , bringing in new collaborators so there ’ s always an influx of original ideas ,” she says . “ As a human-oriented team , we start by listening — spending a lot of time on the ground , finding our people , and listening to the things they need , want and are paying attention to . Increasingly , travelers want their experiences to align with their values , including environmentally friendly practices . We ’ re able to be flexible and elastic , constantly seeking new ways to be better and design the worlds we want to live in .”
44 hotelsmag . com January / February 2020